Carlsbad-area residents who call 911 or report a crime to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office will receive automated text updates about their case under a system that went live Thursday, Oct. 8.
The Sheriff's Office launched the platform, called CommunityConnect, according to a department press release. Built by public safety technology company Versaterm, the system ties into the agency's existing Computer-Aided Dispatch and sends notifications without requiring extra staff work.
Not every call triggers a text.
Only designated call types and dispositions qualify, though the Sheriff's Office has not published a full list of which calls are included. Callers who do qualify can expect up to three types of messages:
- Initial acknowledgement: sent within minutes, confirming the call was logged, providing an event number and noting that a deputy will respond when available.
- Delayed arrival notification: sent after a call has been on hold for 30 minutes, then every 60 minutes after that, up to three times, letting the caller know deputies are handling other calls.
- Call disposition notification: sent 10 minutes after a call is cleared with certain outcomes, such as an arrest, a cancellation or a deputy response.
Each text includes a link to view the message in Spanish. Recipients can opt out at any time by replying STOP.
The Sheriff's Office said in its press release that follow-up communication with callers "requires time and resources that aren't always available," framing the automated system as a way to close that gap.
The Sheriff's Communications Center, which serves Carlsbad and other unincorporated and contract areas across San Diego County, handles an average of 800,000 calls for service per year. Dispatchers process more than 2,000 calls per day with a goal of answering each within 15 seconds.
Sheriff Kelly Martinez's office also announced the launch on X. The North County Daily Star also covered the announcement.
The Sheriff's Office has not announced any future expansion milestones for the program. Residents with non-emergency questions can reach the department at 858-868-3200.
